Are You Okay?
by A. Heimby
Summary: Sherlock and John are not the only ones who have problems in their lives, and Lestrade knows that far to well. Will John and Sherlock be able to offer some support? Fluff
1. Chapter 1

Greg Lestrade had been having a hard time. His wife had left him for his daughters PE teacher, running off to France, abandoning them. Greg understood why she abandoned him, or at least that she seemed to have her reasons, but he could not fathom why or how she could abandon their eight year old daughter. Elizabeth was extremely smart for her age, as well as perceptive, so unfortunately she understood her mother had abandoned her, and that killed Greg; to see the pain on his baby girls face was almost too much to handle, even though she tried to hid how much it hurt her, but Greg new his daughter, and he knew when she was in pain, physically or emotionally. He was sad his marriage was over, but he did not regret that it was, he just regretted that his daughter was stuck in the middle.

The Inspector was also having a hard time at work. Donavon and Anderson had started being especially cruel toward Sherlock, plus their little affair was starting to affect their work. He did not look forward to the conversation he would soon have to have with them. The higher ups were also on his case, giving him trouble for no good reason. Then there was the fact that the inspector had no life outside of work and raising his daughter, which he had no problem with, he just wished that he had a friend he could talk to sometimes; a sympathetic ear. He was dealing with a lot, and he was not sure how much longer he could deal with it by himself.

That's why he could not hold back a sigh as he looked down at another body. He could usually separate himself from his work, but he just did not have the energy anymore. He was worn thin, so close to breaking. He felt like he was on the verge of shattering. He couldn't take another hit to his opinion of humanity, he couldn't handle telling another person someone they loved was dead, and he definitely couldn't handle the idea of letting his little girl down if he did break, if he did shatter, and there was no one around to put him back together for his daughter.

He turned away from the body of the twenty two year old girl lying in front of him, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn't been able to handle cases like this since his daughter was born. He sighed again as he rubbed a hand through his hair and over his face. All of a sudden he could feel himself falling, spiraling down, and he flinched in anticipation of the inevitable crash and shatter, but it never happened because out of nowhere there was a hand rubbing his back as he crouched on the spot.

He had not even noticed that he had crouched down until he opened his eyes and was staring at John's feet. He was breathing hard but not actually taking in any air as he looked up at the doctor's concerned face.

Crouching down beside Greg, without taking his hand off his back, John asked, "Are you okay Greg?" John would have said more, pointed out how haggard and haunted the Inspector looked, but he doubted that would make him feel any better so he left it at that.

Greg tried to brush off the question and say he was fine, like he always did, but could not bring himself to utter the lie, yet again. He opened his mouth to try and say something, anything, but all he managed was a strangled squeak. He buried his face in his hands. He missed the worried look on John's face as he looked at the Inspector.

What happened next surprised everybody. John stood up and cleared his throat, but not in that way when there is a tickle that needs to be dealt with, but in the way that says, "Listen to me right now, or else…" The room full of a dozen or so people went silent, even Lestrade quieted his breathing and looked up at John. He had taken up a military stance, a stance that spoke of power, and demanded obedience from every person in the room. In a clear voice John calmly ordered, "Everybody out of the room. Detective Inspector Lestrade and I need a moment to talk, alone." There was an immediate flow of people out of the room. No one questioned the authority in John's tone, if Anderson or Donavon had been there they may have, but they weren't, so soon it was only Lestrade, John, and an awkward seeming Sherlock in the room.

Both Lestrade and Sherlock were staring at John in amazement as Lestrade half whispered, "I can't even get them to listen to me like that." John just gave him a small smile and looked at Sherlock.

"Are you going to be supportive or do I need to kick you out to Sherlock, after all this is sentiment and caring." John gave Sherlock a knowing look.

Sherlock gave an awkward cough before speaking, "Just because I don't care in general doesn't mean I don't care at all." He blushed a little as he looked down and continued, "I do care about you and Lestrade." He was shuffling his feet awkwardly.

John just gave him a slight nod and turned back to the Inspector, once again kneeling down beside him, Sherlock and his surprise confession forgotten behind him. John spoke in such a soft voice it was almost unsettling to hear him switch so quickly to it from his military 'captain' voice. "Greg, there is obviously something wrong, and I want you to know that you can talk to me. I am here for you if you need me." He had a hand on Lestrade's shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

Greg looked at John a moment, wanting to talk to him, but unsure how to do it. He had never had someone he could talk to about his problems before, at least not since he was a little boy and used to talk to his teddy bear. He made the same squeaky noise before burying his face in his hands again out of frustration. He wanted to talk to John, but not here, not with his team on the other side of the door, and he couldn't just leave, not with the dead girl still in front of him. This time it was Sherlock who saved him, as if Greg had been speaking out loud he said in an oddly timid voice, "I know who did it, so there is no reason you can't leave Lestrade. It was the boyfriend. We can all head back to 221B if you'd like."

Both John and Lestrade sent Sherlock a grateful smile as John helped the Inspector back to his feet. John went to the door and called everybody back in, and soon enough they had been directed to the evidence needed to convict the boyfriend and the three men were in a taxi headed back to Backer Street in complete silence.

The second John closed the door Lestrade collapsed onto the couch face first with an aggravated sigh which made Sherlock immediately excuse himself under the pretense of making tea, hoping John would have talked to him by the time he got back. John took no time in walking over to the Inspector and sitting on the coffee table, leveling him with a "tell me what's bothering you" stare.

Lestrade closed his eyes as he spoke quietly, "I've just been a bit overwhelmed lately, what with my wife…ex-wife… running off, abandoning my daughter and I, and the higher ups breathing down my neck. Plus I am having serious issues with some of my force members, and… well… it's just that, everything is piling on, and it's too much to handle by myself all at once." He sighed for what felt like the millionth time that week.

John let out a small laugh, and seeing hurt cross Lestrade's face he quickly explained, "You do know you don't have to do it by yourself, don't you? Sherlock and I both want to help. We can watch Elizabeth if you need some time, you know she loves us, and we are always here to listen, if that is what you need. I've been told I make an amazing shoulder." John sent Lestrade a heart-warming smile. That smile that, no matter how bad you are feeling, or alone and cold, it always makes you feel comforted and loved; it makes you feel safe. Lestrade could not help the faint smile that crept across his face. Then as Sherlock was walking into the room with a tray that had three cups of tea John added, putting his hand on Lestrade's shoulder, "You are not alone Greg." Both Sherlock and John sent him a smile, John less awkward than Sherlock.

That's when Lestrade realized he did have friends. One of them may be a self-proclaimed sociopath, but both were still amazing friends. John was always keeping an eye on him, making sure he was hanging in there, and Sherlock would take cases that bored him, simply because Lestrade asked him too, which was a big thing for Sherlock. He knew both would be more than willing to put him back together if he ever broke. Suddenly things didn't feel so overwhelming. Lestrade could breathe again for the first time since his ex-wife left.

Lestrade and John talked about all of Lestrade's problems for the next two hours, Sherlock simply sitting in his chair listening while John knew exactly when to offer advice, or just agree, or simply nod his head in understanding. He knew when to pat Lestrade's shoulder in a comforting gesture, or when to simply stay quiet. Lestrade left the flat with a smile on his face as he headed to pick his daughter up from school. He knew as long as he had friends like Sherlock and John he would be able to make it through this dark time, so that he could make it to the good times. With his daughter and friends he knew he would be better than okay. He smiled wider, and as his daughter ran up to him in front of the school, seeing her father looking happy for the first time in a long time, she could not help but return that smile full force. Nothing made her heart glow more than to see her father happy again.


	2. Chapter 2

Lestrade spent the next week in a good mood. He found that the support that John, Sherlock and his little girl gave him was enough to clear his head, make it so he could deal with the things being thrown at him. Three days after talking to John he called Anderson and Donavon into his office and gave them a long speech on inter office fraternization, as well as a private lecture to Anderson about cheating on his wife. He may have lost his temper a little with Anderson; thinking of his own pain from finding out his wife had cheated on him again before she ran off with his daughter's gym teacher.

To his glee the two got their acts together, and even though he had no idea what was or wasn't going on between them, they kept it out of the Yard, which was all that he wanted. He couldn't have their private liaisons putting other police in danger, or putting their work into question when it came time for prosecution.

He even found himself able to deal with the higher ups. Among other things, they were questioning his involving Sherlock in cases and trying to stop the Consulting Detective's involvement completely, but with his new burst of confidences he found himself standing up to their bullying and demands, and provided numerical evidence as to why it would be a blunder on the part of the Yard if he were not kept on as a consultant. He even found himself leaving the room with a slight pay raise, which left the men in the bored room scratching their heads.

On a Friday morning Lestrade found himself ringing John and inviting him and Sherlock over for dinner that night. Even if John would have thought about saying no, there would have been no chance of it after he explained Elizabeth wanted to make them a special dinner.

That night as Greg was helping his daughter make spaghetti he heard a cab pull up so he went to the door to greet his two friends but stopped when he could hear talking on the other side of the door.

Sounding like a complaining child Sherlock whined, "But John, I don't even know why I'm here. You helped him, not me."

Greg could hear John tutting at Sherlock before saying, in a voice you would use with a four year old, "You are here because you are Greg's friend, and even if you won't admit it, you adore that little girl. I would also like to add you have been helping Lestrade since before I met you; so that is an invalid argument, as you would say."

Sherlock groaned as he said, "But what if I ruin dinner. We both know I lack social skills that even a little girl would possess." He could hear John laugh lightly as Sherlock added, "What if she doesn't like. Kid's her age tend not to like me."

"Oh, don't be daft Sherlock. She's met you before and didn't hate you then. Also, its people in general that tend not to like you, not just little kids." Greg could hear Sherlock's huff of indignation before John added, "I'm joking Sherlock. Well, kind of. You do tend to offend a lot of people. Now, I'm going to knock and you're going to put all silly notions behind you, got it?"

Greg assumed Sherlock must have responded in the affirmative because a second later there was a knock at the door. With a great big smile he opened it. "Good evening gentlemen. Eliza will be so happy that you came. She hasn't stopped talking about the dinner since I picked her up from school."

John smiled brightly as Sherlock awkwardly handed Greg a bottle of sparkling cider with the comment, "I thought it best to bring something all at the dinner could partake in." Lestrade smiled so brightly at Sherlock he couldn't help but smile back awkwardly in response. John simply patted Sherlock on the back as he made his way to the kitchen behind Greg.

As the three men entered the kitchen John found himself stumbling back a little as Elizabeth jumped on him. He caught her in his arms swiftly and lifted her up, returning the hug she was giving him. He continued holding her as she pulled back, and playing with his face asked, "Can I call you Uncle Doctor? Daddy says you're a Doctor, so I think that is what I should call you."

John laughed as Greg sent him an apologetic look, and grabbing her tiny hand with his free hand he told her, "Of course you can." He made a point to give her a questioning look as her asked, "What should I call you?"

The little girl giggled as she said, "Eliza of course. That is what Daddy calls me, so that means it's what family calls me."

John smiled at the endearing child as he turned to Sherlock and asked, "So what do you want to call Sherlock then?"

Sherlock looked around awkwardly as the three other people in the room looked toward him, and after looking at Sherlock and thinking for a second the little girl said, "Uncle Sherly!" The other two men tried to bite away their laughter as Sherlock looked with uncertainty at the little girl before she asked, "Can I call you Uncle Sherly, Uncle Sherly?"

Sherlock smiled slightly as he answered, "You already are so I don't see why not." John then stepped closer to Sherlock as Eliza reached for him, and to the other two's amazement, let the little girl pull herself from John's arms and into his as she gave him a hug.

When she pulled back Sherlock put her down and patted her on the head before she ran over to her father who was leaning against the counter. He picked her up and sat her on the counter beside him as he started talking to John and Sherlock.

Not long after they started talking a timer went off and Eliza jumped from the counter, ran up to John and Sherlock, and pulled them toward the table making them sit. She then ran over to her dad, who was serving the plates. She grabbed two and brought them to John and Sherlock. She then sat down and waited for her father to come with the rest of the stuff. Soon enough everyone had a plate of spaghetti, garlic toast, and sauce, as well as a cup of sparkling cider in front of them.

Before anybody took a bite Eliza stood up on her chair with a steadying hand from her father, and clearing her throat said, "I asked my Daddy to have this dinner so we could honor our guests." Everyone had their full attention on the little girl as she continued with a slight frown, "My Daddy has been sad since Mommy chose to leave us, and I was worried about him. He stopped smiling like he used to, and he stopped humming." A large smile then grew on her face as she said, "Then a little while ago he started smiling again, and humming. He started playing make believe with me again, and when I asked him why he was smiling he said it was because of his friends Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. He said that you helped him when he needed it and that it made him happy." She sent a loving smile at her father before looking between John and Sherlock with an adoring smile and saying, "So I wanted to have a dinner to thank Uncle Doctor and Uncle Sherly for making my Daddy feel happy again." She raised her glass of cider in a toast, and the three men followed suit.

Lestrade stood up, and kissing his daughter on the top of the head said, "Thank you sweetie, but all I need to make me happy is you." Even Sherlock couldn't help the slight smile that crossed his face and the endearing sight of Lestrade and Eliza, and didn't miss the knowing look John threw at him.

The rest of the dinner was spent in pleasant conversation, Eliza managing to get Sherlock to contribute, and by the time the dessert came out all three men felt a glow in their hearts. Sherlock mentally decided that although he didn't get along with most children, he most definitely got along with Miss Elizabeth Lestrade. She was indeed a very bright child and Sherlock enjoyed how inquisitive she was. Whenever John and Greg were engaged in a conversation Sherlock was perfectly fine talking to Eliza, as was she to her Uncle Sherly.

After a game of make believe with Eliza Sherlock and John got ready to leave. John gave Lestrade a quick hug at the door before receiving a tight hug from Eliza. She then moved over to Sherlock and gave him a great big hug as well. As the two men walked out the door Eliza yelled goodbye to them with a, "Night Uncle Doctor! Night Uncle Sherly! See you later!"

They both yelled goodnight back to Greg and Eliza, and as they rode back toward 221B they couldn't help but think that the Lestrade family made them happy as well. They provided Sherlock with the human interaction he only got from John, and John got to feel like his family had grown. Neither could keep the smile from their face for the rest of the night.


End file.
